r/Seahawks • u/PhilosophyNo5165 • 8m ago
Opinion Avery Smith, the DB's and the Fleury "mystery"
The team trading for Avery Smith and not keeping Noah had me recalling some reporters comments before the Tennessee game (I think) about how the team planned to work both Noah and Pritchett at NB as I don't think they liked what they were seeing thus far. Pritchett really isn't a NB - he's an outside CB, and they obviously weren't confident in Noah there either. With the subsequent injury to Bud Clark, the trade for Smith makes even more sense. After reviewing his preseason and Toledo highlights (context - I'm not watching "film" and I'm just a goober-fan, fwiw), I think he may possess more potential in that aggressive NB spot the way MM likes it played, including blitzing and run pickup.
In addition, I think the trade helps them with the loss of Bud Clark - yes, different positions but I think they wanted to use Clark in multiple places as he progressed, including some at NB, never mind the energy he brought to the table. It's been a muddle getting there, but I'm seeing the beginnings of the DB room taking form. We have to see them play, of course, and we all have questions about how well Pritchett will hold up and how much Diggs ultimately contributes.
I also cannot wait to see how MM deploys T. Knight along with Nick in his varied looks. We know he's gonna change things up, keep morphing and adjusting and growing to confuse the hell out of offenses and coaches (cue slightly evil chuckle...).
On the offensive side of the ball, there are niggly worries about the "unknown Fleury," and his lack of availability makes it even harder to get a feel for things from afar. It's also really difficult to assess much about play-calling in the pre-season. I'm guessing that, much like last season, we may experience some fits and starts in the first few games while everyone finds their groove.
The big difference this year? The offensive group itself is already cohesive - they are not new to one another like last year, they don't have to build chemistry from scratch, they have a year in a similar system together. I'm hoping that makes their transition to Fleury's play-calling a smoother process.
